Improvement in sewing-machines



No.. 18,068. I PATBNTBD AUG. 25, 1857.

w. WICKERSHAM.

SEWING MACHINE.

4 SHEETS-431251! 1.

No. 18,068. 1 PATENTBD AUG, 25, 1857. w. WIGKBRSHAM.

'SEWING MACHINE. y

4.811BETs-SHBBT 4.

)Vz' neawse l 4 f f 11 if@ n for the needle, .on a large scale.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WM. I VICKERSHAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. |58,068, datedAugnst 25,1857

.To all whom. it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM WIOKERSHAM, of Boston, in the county of Suiiolk and State of Massachusetts, 'have invented new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and I 'do hereby declarethat the following is a full and exactdeseription of the construction and operation of the same.

The nat-ure of my invention consists in a sewing-machine so constructed and embracing such eombinationof parts as to enable it to sew in cloth or other material with one thread byso tying it into the cloth in the formation of the stitchas torender it impossible to unravel the same when seWed.

To. enable others to make and use my invention, Iwlll proceed to describe its construc- -t'ion and operation, and in doig'sol willuse .ranged in their working position. Fig. 3 is a top view ofthe machine as it would appear ifv the upper part of the stand or table were removed... Fig. 4 is a cross-sectionof the front part of the' machine, showi ng the cloth-holder Zand the apparatusfor raising it and press# ing it 4onto the cloth.V -It shows the-needle and its attachmentt'o the needle-bar D. It also shows the feeding apparatus. Fig. 5 illustrates the shuttle. Fig. 6 gives a top view'of said machine. Fig. 7 shows the formation-of the stitch in its dirent stages uptil completed; also, it shows the end of the ,threadguide, which throws the thread into the eye of Fig. 8 is a-sur- -vfaeegview of the cams, showing their forms. Fig. 9 shofwsthe continuous stitch, and Fig. 10 shows the intermittent stitch which my machine makes. Fig. 11 shows the needle on a large scale. In the specification of my machine, Are'prestents the ltable or stand, to which the different parts of the machine are attached. B is the main shaft. C is an arm fastened upon thetable, which contains the cloth-holder and the apparatus for operating. D is the needle-arm. E is a shaft, to which the needle-arm is con nected.l F is a lever, which moves the shuttle. G isthe shuttle. His a cam,which gives stitch is madr.

feed-cam, which is used when the continuous the needle-arm D and -thenecdle h their requislte motion. I is the cam which moves the lever Fand- 'A the shuttle.

gives the fer motion vwhen the intermittent (Shown at Fig. 10.) L isthe stitch is made. (Shown at Fig. 9.) M is the iy-wheel. N- is the thread. O is the feed-lever, operated b yone or other of the cams L and L. Q is a groove-or way suitably formed for `the shuttle to playin. S is a bar or. rod fitted movably intothe end of the cam Q,with

a foot, Z, on the lower end to 4hold the cloth firm while being sewed. V is a small. cam to raise the cloth-holder z ofi' the cloth. W is a spring to hold said cloth-holder down wliile the cloth is being fed along underneath it. H is' a spring' to throw the feed-lever into,the first position after it has been move'd by the feed-cam L or L. H is a spring to draw the threadguide F into its first position after it has thrown the thread into the eye of the needle.'-

z is the foot 4on the cloth-holder. e is a small notch on the end of the thread-guide k, to hold the thread .while being guided into the needleY hook. .h is the needle. (Shown on alarge scale at Fig. 11.-) r isa small spring to give tension to the thread as it passes between said spring andthe side of the shuttle. j is the bobbin or spindle with the thread `wound 'onto it in such manner thatit can pass freely ofi at one end while being sewed into the cloth. j is the spindle, (shown separate from the shuttle',)

which is screwed into it when ready for use. Z is a chain for feeding the cloth, having small teeth in one edge of it. (Shown in a part just under the foot z' of the cloth-holder. This chain is. operated by a small gear, m, on the shaft'n. p is a dog attached to the feed-lever O, to work in the .teeth of the ratchet-gear o, and turn it Awhen said lever is moved by thel cam L. p is a spring to the dog p, to keep it in the vteeth of the ratchet-gear o.' r is a roll or pulley for the feed-chain to pass over` at one side. s s are twokpoints fastened into the spring@ on the shuttle-lever F,which pass into small holes in xthe shuttle for the purpose of moving it. On the back part of saidpoints orl pins s s are p'rojections t t, which pass succes-f sively against the projection u in such manner as to causeeach one ofthe points s3 to move out from the' shuttle, when it comes near to the J isi'tlie cam which. -moves the thi vlad-guide K. L is the camwhich .loop of the thread which the through, in suchmannejrthat Said points will not prevent the shuttle from passing freelythrou gh the loop. At c and c', Fig. 11, .is shown afront anda side view of the eye of my needle,\'vhich consists of two hooks, one above and one below the opening for the thread to pass into either one or the other of said hooks. One of Vthese hooks is to carry the loop of the` thread up through thev cloth, and the other to carry said loop-down through the'cloth in another place, .so 'that the shuttle can pass -through said loop. These hooks may be made by first making a long eye in the needle, and then half-waydpwn from one end to the other ofl said eye making a gap oropening into it from one side of the needle, 4as shown in aside view at c. Fig. 1l. I have the pointof my needle incline toward the side which the hooks are on,or the purpose of making all the pressure of the cloth on the opposite side from the hook to prevent said hooks from catching into the cloth.4 w is a piece of metal fastened into the end of the needle-arm l), having a slot eut in the-lower end suitable to nold the needle, and a tapering screw cut on the outside of the -nut y to screw on to fasten the needle-.

Having described the principalparts of my machine, l will 'noni proceed to explain its operation.

In tunning the main shaft B the needle h is made to niove'up and down by means ofthe cam H operating. the needle-bar D through the pin a, turning upon the' shaft E. I will sup,- pose that the shaft B has been thus turned until the needle-bar has come to the position seen iii Fig. 2. The same position of the needle is also shown in example 2, Fig. 7, where two-thicknesses of the cloth G are shown, and the thread isrepresented stretched on the under side of the cloth below7 the needle, asit would be after one stitch had been served and the shuttle had moved forward to its farthest point,- .drawing up the loop close around the thread N, which the shuttle had just passed through saidloop. The next stage in the formation of -thestitch iSshQwn' in example 3, Fig.,7. -In -this example the machine has been turned far enough to cause the thread-guidel.41 to move from its *l first-position back alittle from the needle by its roll f passing A into the cavity J*4 to receive V the thread and take it out of the 'way of the needle-point as it descends;also for thel'needle to pass down'and-the thread-guide to move the thread'forward, wrapping it partly around the needle, as seen in example 3,v Fig. 7, by

means of the cam J pressing; against the 'roll f. The thread being held in this position, the machine continues to turn until the opening in the eye of the. needle has come up even with the thread thus pressed against the needle by the thread-guide, and the thread passed int-o the eye, completing the example] 3. turning the machine farther the needle is caused to move up, carrying the thread which was just-thrown into its eye to its highest po- Meantime the threadguide has been 'shuttle is 'going Then by withdrawnto its first position, fthe shuttle has moved back until the holey from which the thread comes is about even with the needle. f and the cloth G has been fed'along 'far enough fora stitch by means of the cam L moving the lever O, the dog p, the ratchet-gear o, the ,shaft n, andthe si'uall chain-gear m, which ,noves the chain I and the cloth with it, com- 4pleting the position of example 4, last referred to. Another movement of the machine'causes the needle to pass4 down, the 'shuttle .in the slack thread of Vthe loopV above the cloth and in the eye of the' needle as 'the needlepasses down. When the needle reaches its lowest point and raises up a little, causing a loop to form ou the side which the shuttle passes,

of it passes through the loop while one side of said loop is close in the upper hook of the needle, bringing the shuttle and needle to the position shown in example 5.' The needle then raises up and the shuttle goes forward in such man-ner as to take the-loop .out of the hook and bring the needle and shuttle to theposition of example kBy the shuttle moving forward to its'farthest point it will readily be ,seen that the loop which it has just passed through will be drawn up to the cloth and close around the thread coming immediately from the shuttle. The cloth is then fed along far enough Ifor a stitch, bringing the cloth, the needle, and threadfinto the same positionas shown in example 2, with the addition of an-` otherv'stitch sewed. To continue the `o`peration a seam is formed appearing intermittent on one side of the cloth-that is,A appearing to have al space and stitch alternately, as shown in Fig. 10; `rIhe motion of the needle in these examples is given by the cam AH through the ,pin a andthe needle ar'm or. lever P, and the motion of the shuttle is given by the cani. I1 through the pin gand the'lever F, turning on the stud d as a fulcrum.

t `By. substituting the feed-cam L" for L, the one used in forming the 'stitch just described, the cloth is fed; alongonly once'every time .the shuttle passes through the loop, making a continuous stitch, asshown in Fig. 9.

In this specification it will be seen that a chain-feed which moves the cloth is substituted 'for a rack=feed.which movedthe ma- -chine as previously described'.-

My shuttle has'fsome peculiarities which render it very'valuable'. The spindle j, upon -which the thread is wound `which 'is to be sewed intb the cloth by my machine, is -fsst. ened or screwedVA into one end of the shuttle, asseen invFig. 5, and the thread comes oi at one end of said spindle, as show'n' at q, Fig. 5, and passes out through a small hole in the end oftheshuttle, then. it passes in through another hole in the side of the shuttle, then between the opening and the inside ofthe shuttle,v and th'rongh'another hole to the outside again, as shown' on 4a large scale at Fig. 5,

'. which gives, it iSlight tension, .which may be meantime receding suiiicient to take up the the shuttle moves forward, so that thelpoint .increasedto desirable amount by passing through other holes' in the sideeof the shuttle after` 1t has passed oetween said spring 'i and the-inside of the shuttle, as seen in'Fig. 3L In Figi 5 isshown at G the shuttle com'p1ete, with the bobbin or. thread Wound upon the-spindle j, the thread passing off ofthe spindle at q, the

small tensionspring z', and the thread N as it receives its, tension by passing under the spindle through the holes in the side of the shuttle, and out ofT it as ready `for use; at G', 'a section of the side of the shuttle Where the two.holf3s` forthe points` s s to work in in movi-ngjilreshuttle. Atj, Fig. 5, is shown the spin,- dle,with theserew at one end to fasten it into the shuttle by. At G, Fig. 2, is. shown a cross.-

section of said shuttle.

' 1 I -have represented the bobbin and bobbin,

ease 0r shuttle in the form seen iir'the draw-4 ings 'merelv because that appears to be the most practical .form when' pnt into operation;

'but the bobbin and its ease maybe made in varied forms. I have made it very short, notifo exceed threc-eighths of an inch in length and about one yinch in diameter, and when using' it in this form lhad the loop thrown round it by means of a hook, instead ofhaving the bobbin-case or shuttle pass through the loop, as above described.

Having' fully deserbedmy machine, what I claim as my invention, and desire t'o secure by -Letters Patent, is v 1. A. fast stitch niade by one lthread, which is forined by having the loopor double of the `thread pass through from one side of the cloth to the other,` and bac-k again in another place to the rst side of said cloth, and around 'the same thread of which the loop is formed by means ofashuttle carrying said thread through 1 said loop, substantia-lty as herein specifed,and

illustrated by Figs, i' and 10.

l2. A thread-guide with a notch or opening, e, in one side of it tov receive the thread, and

formedandarrangedsubstantiallyasdescrbed, v

so that the thread may pass into it when said thread is to be guided into the eye or hook of the needle and pass out el 'said notch in the thread-guide at other times.

3. r:The use of a doub1e-ixookedneedle, as described, in taking the thread both ways through the cloth, one way or up through the cloth by means-of one hook, and the other way 0r down through theclot-h by means of the other hook ofthe same needle, all substantially as above described. i l

XIJLIAM \VICKERSHAM.

vNVitnesses:

` kJOEL SMITH,

EDWD. C, MOREHQUSE. 

